Maybelline Names Manny Gutierrez Its First-Ever Male Brand Ambassador

Maybelline has named its first-ever male brand ambassador, beauty influencer and vlogger Manny Gutierrez, a.k.a. Manny MUA. This marks the company's first foray into influencer marketing on a mainstream scale and also follows an emerging trend of relying on a diverse variety of said influencers, regardless of gender. In October, 17-year-old James Charles made waves in the industry by becoming the first male CoverGirl, and it seems Maybelline took notice of its competitor's bold move.

Gutierrez is one of the most well-known "beauty boys," with a whopping 3 million Instagram followers and 2.1 million YouTube subscribers. He recently made our list of the most influential makeup vloggers of 2016 and has partnered with brands such as Benefit and GlamGlow, not to mention collaborated on his own palette with Makeup Geek.

Gutierrez's first major campaign for Maybelline, which the brand debuted via Instagram on Wednesday, promotes the new Big Shot Mascara. It also features a female influencers with her own massive following, Shayla Mitchell of @MAKEUPSHAYLA.

"We're so excited to team up with Manny and Shayla, who are true leading influencers in the social media world, on our first ever video campaign that features influencers as the stars," said Maybelline Senior Vice President of Marketing Anne-Marie Neslon Bogle via a press release. She went on to borrow some popular internet vernacular when elaborating on the partnership: "The duo's boss-like personalities, in which they unapologetically slay both their makeup looks and their professional lives, made them a perfect fit for the role."

Gutierrez also made a statement about his new role, acknowledging it as a big step for Maybelline as a brand: "[I'm] thrilled to be able to work with a global brand like Maybelline that is recognizing male influencer talent and is willing to shine a spotlight on it."